The Last Hunt
by Lenena
Summary: After the brothers lose their father and the yellow-eyed demon is slain, there's not much left keeping the Winchesters in the hunting business. It's time to move on with their lives. Time to start living. The same goes for the pair of best friends who just moved to the most haunted house in Utah. The forced meet up could change everyone's life, for better or for worse.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a self-insert fic for my best friend lol. It was supposed to be done for christmas but that didn't happen. I changed a lot cuz I really don't want to deal with the show as a whole.

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Chapter 1.

The house was small and mostly quiet, except for the creaking wood and slamming doors. The old friends did what any other first time home renters would do: stay. The pair was definitely in no position to move out seeing as they just moved in. Cece, the older of the two by five months, was the first to admit they have a problem. Nina, the younger by _only_ five months, was content to ignore it.

"I can't sleep at night and it's making me too tired to work on my lesson plans!" Cece complained two weeks after the initial move. The summer was peaking in the middle of July and the two friends were convinced that if the ghosts didn't kill them the heat definitely would.

"Take some NyQuil and whiskey and call it a night, Cece." Nina, the ever most helpful, suggested. Cece gave her a look and sighed. The two of them sank further into the couch, too lazy to even fan themselves.

"This would be easier if we had air conditioning," Cece whispered. Nina groaned in agreement. At two in the afternoon, the July sun was determined to melt their tiny house. When Cece asked Nina to move to Torrey, Utah with her, Nina said no. More specifically, no way in hell. But after the puppy-eyes and begging, Nina agreed. Cece had trouble finding a decent teaching job in California that allowed her to live without starving every other week. When she applied for Utah, it was the cost of living that made the decision. Nina found a job as a front desk administrator for the local police department, definitely not a receptionist. While they wallowed in the heat a door opened and slammed closed twice. Nina sighed and closed her eyes. Cece took off her glasses pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I wish there was some damn wind that I could blame that on," Nina muttered trying not to sound scared. A knock at the front door brought out a shout from the two of them. Cece collected herself first and went to answer the door. The little old lady who lived to their right was standing with a hard glare in her eyes.

"You know you can't stay here," she said with steel in her voice.

"Well no shit," Nina said from the couch.

"Nina!" Cece hissed before addressing the elder. "We're painfully aware but, we have no options at this point."

"This house has seen too much evil," she said, her voice wavering. Nina didn't bother to get up from the couch to deliver her reply.

"How would you know?"

"Would you like to come in?" Cece asked, her good conscience getting in the way of being openly annoyed with the old lady. The woman scoffed in response.

"I'm putting myself in danger just by standing on the porch," she whispered as if something might be listening. The old lady took Cece's hand, almost pulling her out of the house. "Many lives have been claimed, too many. I want to help but, you need to get out of this house." Her voice shook with a desperation that made Nina walk to the door. Nina took the old woman's hand from Cece's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Ma'am," she began softly for the first time that day, "We appreciate the concern but, honestly, you're freaking us out more than we need to be. We'll be fine." She let go and took a step back. She gently moved Cece behind the door. "Thank you for visiting us. I hope we can talk again soon." Nina almost felt bad for shutting the door on such an old woman but, it couldn't be helped. Cece wanted to scold her for being so rude but, she was more relieved than anything.

"I'll call someone! I'll get you help!" The old woman yelled through the door.

"Thank you!" Cece called back. There was some shuffling and Nina rushed to the window to make sure the old woman had actually left.

"She made into her house; you can stop worrying," Nina told Cece who was waiting in the living room. Cece let go of her breath.

"She was old! And you were so rude!" Cece said. Nina simply shrugged in response.

"Look, all we have to do is ignore it and it will go away. You can't feed into it, Cece." Nina then went on to ramble about what they were going to eat. But, something in Cece's gut told her to be wary. Something about how the moans and groans of the house seemed deliberate, and not the residual energy proposed by many ghost-busters, ate at her core. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't just ignore it.

* * *

A week later, 1,300 miles away in Custer, Washington, two men were starting the day by hating their lives. Sam and Dean rose and groomed in silence. The routine was getting more than tiresome. Having defeated the yellow-eyed demon and losing their dad, there wasn't much about hunting that kept them there. There were new hunters, fresh and full of enthusiasm. Sam at 24, was dying to get back to school while school was still fresh in his system. Dean at 28, didn't want hunting to be his only thing in life. The brothers had had an extensive talk on what they were going to do next the night before. They were both sure that they could get Sam back to Stanford with some finesse and paperwork. Dean would find a job nearby and start off at a community college. And yet, there they were, plan formed still unsure of how to start. The two shared a look, and it said everything.

"Just one more," Sam said. Dean smiled.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Dean leaned against the headboard of the motel bed. Sam sat on the edge of his bed. "Something light, though. Ease us out of it."

Sam took out his phone and began to search hashtags…on Instagram.

 _New cross-stitch pattern for my great-granddaughter! It was tricky with_ the arthritis _but, I think I got it down. :) #crossstitch #knitting #babyclothes #pink #grandmaknits ._

 _._

 _P.S. Does anyone know how to get rid of a #haunting? My poor young neighbors don't know the trouble they're in. Any help would be much appreciated. #ghosthaunting #hauntedhouse #helpwanted_

Sam almost laughed at the picture above the caption. It was a small sweater in a rose pink color on top of a floral tablecloth. The user name Grandma_Knits was also a bit offsetting. Sam wasn't sure if he should take it seriously or not. Before even asking Dean about it he decided to message the grandma.

 _Hello, Grandma Knits. My name is Sam._

 _My brother and I are ghost hunters_

 _and I was wondering if you could give us_

 _some details about what's going on?_

To his surprise, he didn't have to wait long for a response.

 _Hello, Sam. My name is Edith._

 _I do hope this is not a prank._

 _I've had too many of those since_

 _I posted that message a week_

 _ago._

 _Nice to meet you, Edith._

 _I can assure you this is not a prank._

 _My brother and I are very serious_

 _about our work._

 _Well, Sam, I know the house is very old._

 _The original home was one of the first_

 _built in our small town. Of course,_

 _the renovations make it look much_

 _more up to date. It reeks of evil._

 _What about the people who live in_

 _the house? From the post, it_

 _didn't sound as if it was you._

 _Well, no. It's my neighbors. They're a_

 _young couple and they won't listen to_

 _my warnings. Even from next door I_

 _can hear the doors slamming and_

 _the screaming._

 _Is it your neighbors screaming?_

 _I wish. I'll give those girls_

 _their due credit. It's the same_

 _man who died a while ago._

Sam had decided. A simple ghost haunting. This old lady seemed convinced that something very real was happening to her neighbors. Sam wondered just how young these people were to be able to try to live through something like that. He threw a pillow at Dean.

"I got us a case," he said, ducking the pillow Dean threw back.

"That quick? It was barely twenty minutes?" Dean sat up. Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, well, hashtags work really well. I found this old lady-"

"-Are you sure she's all there?" Dean was skeptical.

"Yes, listen. She's worried about her neighbors. Even if it's nothing, it will be the easy hunt we're looking for. Something to calm us down." Dean was quiet as he thought it over. Sam got the address for the old lady and looked up the drive. It was roughly eighteen hours to get to Utah. The long drive appealed to Dean. He loved the open road that gave him room for his thoughts. The road never judged him. He agreed to it. The brothers packed up and left the small motel, stopping for a big breakfast before heading South. The last hunt only eighteen hours away.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone reading this! I appreciate any feedback lol. I'm just gonna throw out the entire show basically cuz I have issues with it. But this is an insert fic anyways so it's not like the show really matters lmaoooooo Anyways, this is for you Cece.

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Chapter 2.

The small yellow house was inviting enough. The brothers pulled up in the Impala after setting up in the nearest motel. The house to the left, however pretty, had the aura of sinister mischief. The brothers had no doubt that there was something wrong there. Dean noticed the lack of a car in the driveway as they walked up to Edith's front door. When she opened the door, they were greeted by the cutest old woman they had ever seen. She had thick rimmed circle glasses and wore her grey hair up in a tight bun. Everything about her screamed grandma. Her home looked straight from the 1950s. She was sweet and made them some coffee as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"You're both much more handsome than I had imagined," Edith laughed. Sam blushed a little and Dean smiled and winked.

"Well, we aim to be more than the imagination," Dean teased. Edith chuckled before sighing.

"Such handsome boys shouldn't be chasing ghosts," she said softly.

"It's kind of what we do," Sam started, "For now, at least." Edith set down a tray with three cups of coffee before sitting down at the table as well. "Could you tell us what you know?" Edith took a drink and a moment before answering.

"You know," she began slowly, "As 'progressive' as this society is now, it was still surprising to see more colored people in this town. Besides myself and my family, I don't think I've seen another Black person live here. And not only that but, a Mexican too? It's unheard of. Everyone here knows about that house. It's been haunted since before I got here and I moved here with my family when I was 15… That was in 1942. They did those girls wrong by letting them buy that house.

"Almost every person who's tried to live in that house has died. The ones that live are the ones that leave within a year. These girls have been there for about a month and it's the worst I've ever seen it. I think it might be that for the first time ever someone of color is there. I know that house has racist roots.

"Before, it would just be at night, the normal haunting things. But with them in the house, things happen during the day. The screaming is terrifying. I really don't know how these girls are coping -actually, I don't think they are. Neither of them are home right now. They stay out as much as they can. But, poor things, they're so poor. I think I may have come on too strong. I want to help them before something happens to them."

Edith ended with tears on the rim of her eyes. She silently blinked them away. Sam reached for her hand, offering a small squeeze. Dean's resolve hardened. Hauntings were always bad, always unfair to the living. But, to be prosecuted by not only people in real life but dead ones too? It was beyond unfair. It was torture. Dean's sense of justice multiplied tenfold. He was going to help these people even if they didn't want his help. Which, he realized, was definitely a white thing of him to think. He hoped that they could understand that he wanted to help with a genuine intent of helping those in need. And not because of some white savior complex. Dean stood up.

"We're gonna get rid of this haunting, whatever it is," he said with the confidence of a thousand vanquished monsters behind him. Before he could continue a scream sounded off in the distance. It was hollow and empty. There was no emotion in it, no pain. It simply was. Sam stood from the table, also helping Edith to stand.

"That scream used to go off only at night, maybe once or twice a year, to really scare whoever was living there. Now, it goes off in the middle of the day, during dinner, and especially in the middle of the night. I'm not sure if the girls are ignoring it or denying it."

Sam and Dean shared a look. A look from Dean that said, _this was supposed to be something light_. And from Sam, it said, _how was I supposed to know?_ Dean went to the side window in the living room. From there he could get a clear view of the windows on the side of the house next door. The movement was quick but it was deliberate: the curtain from the window directly across from him moved as if someone else were also looking out the window. A shadow moved slowly across the curtain, blatantly announcing its presence. For the first time in a long time, a shiver went down Dean's back.

"It knows we're here," he said. Surprised at how quiet his own voice was Dean stepped away from the window. Sam gave him a questioning look. It was odd to hear fear in Dean's voice. His big brother was hardly ever scared. Dean checked his watch just to confirm the time. 3:30 pm. "Whatever is in there is strong," Dean said. "Things like this shouldn't be happening during the day."

The sound of a shriek made all three of them jump. This scream, however, was alive. Sam and Dean rushed outside, leaving Edith behind. Standing in the driveway, next to a parked car stood Nina. Her hands were at her mouth, a small bag of groceries rolled under the car. She stood paralyzed, staring at the living room window. Sam reached her first, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around. Dean looked at the window and stopped dead in his tracks.

Unhinged and hanging upside down was a distorted human face. Its hair defied gravity, instead, sticking to the face as if sweat kept it there. Its skin was grey and shriveled. The skin around its eyes was sunken in while the whites of the eyes seemed to fill the entire socket. The pupils were nothing but tiny dots staring intensely back. It had no nose, the skin wrinkling around the hole. But worst of all was the mouth, a twisted smile that stretched from ear to ear. It hung a little open, just enough to see the pure black inside its mouth. The teeth were in various stages of decay. It stared into Dean's eyes, challenging him, daring him to make a move. It twitched twice before disappearing.

It was a moment before Dean could breathe again. He was brought back to his senses but the sound of a weeping Nina. Sam had an arm around her shoulders trying to comfort her. Edith finally made it to the driveway. She took Nina into her arms and Nina cried on her shoulder. Sam walked back to Dean.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Dean took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I- I was just caught off guard." Dean looked back at the window and there was nothing there. "Did you see it?" Sam shook his head.

"No, I thought it would be best not to. Also, I just thought about getting her not to look." Sam nodded toward a sniffling Nina.

"Let's go back to my house," Edith offered. Nina nodded and the brothers followed. Once inside, Nina sat at the kitchen table and texted Cece: _I'm at the old lady's house. Don't go home. Come here instead._

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down while Edith made some tea instead. Edith introduced Sam and Dean to a still shaken Nina. She simply nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked her. Nina shook her head. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. "Is this the first time you've seen this?" Nina nodded tears coming back to her eyes.

"I-" Nina began slowly, "That was the first time I've seen something," she almost whispered. "The doors slam, there are footsteps. Sometimes I see something move out of the corner of my eye. But, those are all things I've dealt with before. I've- I've never seen something like that before." She choked up on her last few words as the tears fell from her eyes. She swallowed hard before speaking again, "Cece said she had seen a person, standing in the living room and I dismissed it. I -I told her it was nothing. She said she heard a scream one night and I told her it was her imagination." Nina choked on her tears, crying into her hands.

Sam looked at Dean. Dean sighed. A tentative knock at the door startled Nina. Edith comforted her while Sam got the door. After an awkward moment of introduction, Cece crossed the threshold into the home. Upon seeing her, Nina got up from the table and threw her arms around Cece's waist. She sobbed "I'm sorry" and "I should've believed you" over and over while Cece patted her head.

"It's okay," Cece said, "You were trying to keep things calm and quiet. I understand." Nina sniffled and looked up at her best friend who towered over her.

"Are you sure?" She asked, still feeling guilty. It hurt Cece to see her friend cry like this. She mustered a small smile.

"Of course. Now you know what I've been going through." She playfully ruffled Nina's hair. The best friends shared the hug a moment longer before letting go. It wasn't until Nina let go of her did Cece notice the other man in the room. His rugged good looks would've taken her off guard if it had been under different circumstances. She noticed his eyes and the determination in them.

"Hi, I'm Dean Winchester," he said, reaching out his hand. Cece took it tentatively.

"I'm Cece," was all she could manage as she got a little more lost in his green eyes. His hand was warm and strong. It was a welcome feeling after the month they'd been having. She lingered on the handshake a little longer than necessary. It was something that Dean didn't miss. To Dean, she was cute, really damn cute, but also visibly shaken. Talking her up right now would be taking advantage of her.

"My brother and I are hunters and we deal with things like this for a living," Sam began. "We want to help you two." The word "living" brought Nina straight back from her despair.

"We can't afford you," Nina said coldly, shocking the brothers who hadn't heard her speak clearly yet. "Thank you for the offer but, whatever you charge is too much for us. We can handle it." Cece yanked on Nina's arm.

"Are you crazy?" Cece almost yelled. "Your eyes are still swollen and you're saying we can handle it? Give me a break." Nina didn't say anything but, besides the fear in her eyes was a resolve to suffer. Cece let go of her friend and took a step toward Dean, pushing her pride aside. "Please help us. We can't offer you much but, we'll do what we can." Dean smiled the most reassuring smile he could.

"Don't worry. We don't charge," he said softly. "But, if you're so inclined, you can buy us a pizza and we'll be even." He stuck out his hand again.

"A haunting for a pizza? Deal." Cece shook his hand, glad for the excuse to touch him again.

"First things first, let's go get your guys' stuff," Sam said. Cece could feel Nina shiver next to her and hooked their arms together. "Don't worry," Sam continued, "Dean and I will be with you. We'll pair off and you guys can pack a bag."

"It really shouldn't be more than a day, at most," Dean chimed in. Relief flooded through Cece. Could this month of horror really be over within one day? It seemed too good to be true.


End file.
